The ability to conduct surveillance/stake outs is by far one of the most important and lucrative skills a private investigator and process server can possess. Surveillance/Stake outs can also be one of the most difficult, tedious, challenging, yet rewarding tasks performed. It is a skill-set that requires concentrated practice built upon a solid foundation of time-tested fundamentals. This course is written to give you the information needed to successfully obtain and report video-based evidence that can withstand the scrutiny of litigation and give your clients the edge they need.

This course, written by L. Scott Harrell, teaches course participants the most important aspects of surveillance: how to prepare for a surveillance assignment before leaving the office, detailed diagrams describing the surveillance set-ups and investigator positioning used by veteran investigators, using today’s technology in throughout every aspect of surveillance operations, preparing professional surveillance reports and understanding the many legal aspects affecting video evidence obtained through covert surveillance.

This course is approved for 10 hours of continuing education for process servers in Arizona. An exam will be administered upon the conclusion of the program. If the candidate passes with a score of 75% or better, a certificate of completion will be issued in accordance with state licensing authority standards.

Arizona Private Process Server Continuing Education Policies

Pursuant to the Arizona Code of Judicial Administration §7-204: Private Process Server,(hereafter referred to as “Code Section”) all certified private process servers must complete continuing education every twelve months.

For more info see: http://azcourts.gov/cld/PrivateProcessServer.aspx

About PIeducation.com

PIeducation.com has provided continuing education to private investigators, process servers and bail enforcement agents via the Internet and distance learning opportunities since July 1, 2002 and is the undisputed market leader in this industry segment. As of January 2012, the company has conferred over 61,000 CE hours to over 5,800 licensees in among the following states Arizona (CE for Private Process Servers), Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Oregon, North Carolina,  South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

The on-line format makes continuing education (CE) affordable, flexible and practical. Students no longer need to bear the high expense of travel and time away from work. Completing courses is easy and done at the student’s own pace. All courses can be downloaded for off-line reading rather than staying connected to the Internet the entire time. Students can log out and back into their courses whenever they want and pick up where they last left off at any time. If students choose to download the course material then they can finish studying at their leisure before logging back in to take an online, open book, final exam that is submitted via a simple browser-based form.

PIeducation.com is a division of CompassPoint Investigations, private investigators in Pensacola, FL.

New for 2012, we are beginning the “Pursuit Magazine Professional Spotlight” in which we will feature one (1) of our subscribers on the home page of PursuitMag.com for an entire month in a self-styled promotional article. Think of it as a mini-autobiography of you and your business reaching all of our subscribers (several thousand people and growing every day), social network followers and website visitors in a VERY big way.

This opportunity could be a MASSIVE marketing turbo-boost for you (and it’s FREE)!

Here’s the write up on Brian Taylor, in first Professional Spotlight feature!

But there is a catch… there always is, right???

1. You must be a private investigator, bail agent, process server, forensics guru, collateral repossession professional, security consultant, skip tracer or in a related profession.

2. You’ve got to write a really good article about yourself! Be original, interesting, humorous (if it works for you), but most importantly… be compelling! Make us WANT to put you in the spotlight. You don’t have to be the next Hemingway or even really write that “good” (we’ve got editors for that).

Don’t worry, I’ve got some suggestions (and just a few guidelines) that can be found right here:

http://pursuitmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Professional-Spotlight.pdf

The directions are simple:

1. Check out the resource link above.

2. Write your featured article.

3. Send it to me! (My email address is in the document.)

We’ll review all of your submissions and post the next spotlight the following month. Will you be in the spotlight?

.

“We know that most people associate surveillance with this type of vehicle, and I was determined to find a way to develop a system that allowed our investigators to blend more seamlessly with their environment,” explained Zach Grove, company president.

After months of testing and re-tooling, Zach developed the Unmanned Video Surveillance Platform.  The system consists of a pan/tilt/zoom camera that is covertly concealed on the interior of a car without any tinted windows or other stereotypical “surveillance” fittings.  The camera is covertly connected to an interior digital video recorder (DVR), which saves all recorded material for later retrieval and editing.  The vehicle is parked in a location within eye-shot of the surveillance location and left alone, seemingly empty.  The investigators then position themselves in a second vehicle nearby to conduct trailing surveillance if or when it is necessary and view all the activity on a laptop via a secure internet connection.

“The beauty of this system is that my investigators can see what is going on in real-time and can control the camera’s movements with the click of a mouse.  We have eliminated the need to place an investigator in a sometimes compromising position without sacrificing any visibility.  It is more covert and much more effective,” stated Grove.

The Unmanned Video Surveillance Platform is utilized in nearly all of Armada Global’s investigations and is only inhibited by lack of vehicle parking or low/no wireless signal since the system operates via wireless technologies.  It has now been used and proven successful in thousands of hours of real surveillance cases.

There are, of course, obvious benefits to using this system like more covert surveillance and increased officer safety since personnel don’t need to be physically present to view and record activity.

“Safety is sometimes a huge concern to us, especially when we’re operating in urban areas known to have a high crime rate.  I feel better knowing that I’m not putting my people out where it would not be safe for them,” said Grove.  “We drop the Unmanned Video Surveillance Platform in place and then move to a location, possibly a public establishment on a busy street, where safety would not be as much of a concern.”

Another advantage to using the Unmanned Video Surveillance Platform is the potential to decrease budgetary requirements.  On cases where trailing surveillance is not needed or required, the system can be placed in position and then monitored and controlled from the home office.  This allows for fewer personnel to be out on the streets and has the potential to cut payroll significantly.  Increased investigator comfort is also another significant benefit, especially when dealing with temperature extremes.

“Anyone who has ever sat in the back of a vehicle to conduct surveillance knows that there is nothing worse than a hot, summer day,” explained Grove.  “Opening the vehicle’s windows or, worse yet, turning the vehicle on to run the AC, largely decreases the covertness of the operation.  The Unmanned Video Surveillance Platform can run effectively in very hot and cold temperatures, which allows the investigator to sit comfortably in air conditioning throughout the day.”

Armada Global’s management team has come to realize during the two-years that they have been utilizing the Unmanned Video Surveillance Platform that it would have a tremendous benefit to law enforcement, especially for narcotics investigations or pre-raid planning.  As such, they are now scheduling demonstrations and making the system available for purchase by law enforcement or licensed private investigators.  The Unmanned Video Surveillance Platform can be customized for specific needs or uses and comes with two pan/tilt/zoom cameras, DVR, battery power, connecting cables, a laptop, and all required software in a rugged Pelican Case for easy storage and deployment.  An Armada Global representative will also provide up to 20-hours of system set-up and training.

For additional information on Armada Global, Inc and their Unmanned Video Surveillance Platform or to schedule a demonstration, please call 1-412-253-2013 or email admin@armadaglobalinc.com.

Armada Global has also set up a closed group for PIs and LE on Facebook for those that want to view demo clips, evaluate the system, etc. You’ll need to send a join request after following this link http://www.facebook.com/groups/135852289865448/

They are only allowing licensed PIs and LE access, so if your FB account doesn’t note this association, please email us in advance with the name of your company or department - admin@armadaglobalinc.com

All selected partners will receive 30% of every completed sale referred through the partner’s text link or banner ad ($37.49 for every PI course and $38.99 for every bail enforcement course); every sale will be tracked through a unique affiliate ID.  All affiliate partners will receive a generous commission, as well as the tools, marketing tips and advertising collateral required to effectively support all marketing efforts.  Additionally, partners will have access to a world-class affiliate resource center offering the ability to track online earnings, marketing statistics and commission payments in real-time.

Click Here to Learn More About the CompassPoint Investigations Affiliate Sales Program

“Affiliate Marketing” is a limited business partnership in which a select group of people market and advertise another company’s products via a special link, code or web page.  This win-win partnership enables the affiliate marketers to earn income by receiving a specified percentage of every completed sale that is referred from their specific site while, at the same time, the company is able to grow a sizable sales force of independent contractors who are paid a commission.

Affiliate marketers usually promote these products via company-provided advertising banners and text links placed in their own websites, email signature blocks, social networks, bulletin boards, customer email lists, published articles, videos and pay-per-click advertising campaigns (just to name a few possibilities).

CompassPoint Investigations is not only a substantially successful private investigation and process serving agency operating in Northwest Florida and Coastal Alabama but also operates several very popular investigation websites and online resources.  The most notable of which include:

• PIeducation.com (the undisputed market leader in state-approved continuing education for private investigators);
• BeABountyHunter.com (the most referenced bail enforcement training course available);
• BeAPrivateEye.com (the most complete guide on how to become a private investigator); and, of course,
• PursuitMagazine.com (a free online magazine for professional investigators, process servers, bail enforcement agents, skip tracers, collateral repossession agents, security professionals and other related professions).

The owner, L. Scott Harrell, is a proven professional investigator, educator, and mentor who is capable of highly successful project launches; he is now seeking qualified affiliate marketing partners to help roll out this current marketing initiative as well as help launch four new investigation-related products and services that will be available to affiliate partners very soon.

There are 17 affiliate partnerships available right now.  All affiliates must have a website or an online newsletter where a link or simple banner ad can be placed. To be considered for eligibility, potential partners must first complete this DEAD SIMPLE application form.  Affiliates will be selected based upon a number of factors such as reputation, professional experience, reach, affinity, available resources, marketing experience, etc. For more information, follow the link to the Affiliate Sales Page and the Frequently Asked Questions page.

The Indiana legislature has introduced HB 1006 to repeal mandatory licensing of private investigators and security guards. The Indiana Association of Professional Investigators (IAPI) and the Indiana Society of Professional Investigators (INSPI) are working together to stop this bill from becoming law. Indiana has a short legislative session that will end in March 2012. It is important that all investigative and security professionals from around the country support the efforts of our colleagues in Indiana.

We are asking all licensed investigative and security professionals to download the attached letter that you can paste on to your own business letterhead (Feel free to add information you feel is important and to personalize it). The letter can be found by clicking on the following link:

Vote NO on HB 1006.doc
(If you are unable to open this link or download the document reply to this email and the document will be sent directly to you)

Once you have completed the letter please email it to isplavoice@gmail.com. ISPLA will be putting a booklet together of all letters received that will then be provided to the Indiana associations to use in their lobbying efforts. Please take a few minutes of your time to help our colleagues in Indiana fight this bad bill. The next time could be your state!!

Additional information on this issue, including the bill and the Indiana government report supporting the repeal of licensure, can be found at www.ispla.org/indiana

Peter Psarouthakis
ISPLA Executive Committee Chairman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Scott Harrell, CompassPoint Investigations
ScottH @ compasspointpi (dot) com
www.CompassPointPI.com

Pursuit Magazine Overhauls Information Network With Launch of PursuitWire.com.

January 5, 2012, Pensacola, FL  -   Pursuit Magazine launched the innovative newswire site, http://pursuitwire.com, on January 1, 2012 in an effort to educate and improve the success rates of members of the private investigation, security and bail enforcement industries.  PursuitWire delivers important and breaking new stories that are directly related to private investigators, security, fraud, technology, forensics, hacking, crime, fugitives, bail, repossession and pertinent industry-related business issues.   PursuitWire disseminates timely news articles that have been collected from newswires and international media outlets via its website http://pursuitwire.com and through the associated Twitter account located at https://twitter.com/pursuitmag.  There are also several different RSS feeds available for PursuitWire, enabling subscribers to specifically tailor the type of information they wish to receive.  Additionally, subscribers can monitor the PursuitWire feed through a self-updating ticker on the Pursuit Magazine homepage at http://pursuitmag.com.

L. Scott Harrell, the owner of CompassPoint Investigations, Pursuit Magazine’s parent company, said, “Although Pursuit Magazine and PursuitWire are affiliated, they are very different products.  Pursuit Magazine contains original, timeless articles that are written by bona fide industry leaders with the primary purpose of sharing specific information.  Pursuitewire.com was created to fulfill the demand for up-to-date industry-specific news, and current affairs.  Timely news stories are quite compelling and often very educational at the same time.  It is a combination of the kind of information available through Pursuit Magazine and PursuitWire that helps our readers become more effective and successful professionals; Pursuitwire.com embodies the forward-thinking vision and the commitment that Pursuit Magazine has to the growing needs of its subscribers. While I am aware that several other very capable newswires already exist, we hope to differentiate PursuitWire from them by featuring content that is consistently more relevant to our established base of Pursuit Magazine subscribers. Lastly, we intend to bring innovation to the PursuitWire website through the varied use of emerging forms of media for a richer overall user experience.”

CompassPoint Investigations is a private investigation agency primarily providing insurance fraud investigation and service of process services, headquartered in Pensacola, Florida and serving the Gulf South area between Mobile, AL and Destin, FL.   In addition to the Pursuit Magazine network of websites, other subsidiaries of CompassPoint Investigations include PIeducation.com, the market leader in state-required continuing education for private investigators, as well as several other highly regarded online training websites.

# # #

Due to the rapid advances in technology Congress has attempted to address conflicts between technological innovation and privacy interests. At the same time the courts have been asked to resolve similar issues, particularly to determine whether the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures precludes police agencies from placing a GPS tracking device on a person’s vehicle without a warrant. Pending before the U.S. Supreme Court is the matter of United States v. Jones, 131 S. Ct.3064 (2011).  It is our hope that the government wins.  If not, our position is greatly weakened in those states that presently allow GPS tracking use by private sector investigators conducting lawful investigations. A loss by the U.S. will adversely affect our lobbying efforts regarding laws proposed to limit GPS use. Coupled to this issue are concerns of cell phone location tracking.

In New York , the matter of Michael Cunningham v. New York State Department of Labor, New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department No. 512036, in a 3-2 decision, the court ruled that the NYS Department of Labor was within its rights when it utilized GPS tracking to follow an employee during and after work hours and while on vacation with his family. It dismissed the claims of Michael Cunningham, a former Labor Department employee, that the use of a GPS tracking device constituted an illegal search and seizure. The state relied on GPS data to show that Cunningham had submitted false expense sheets and other travel records. The court ruled that because the device was only monitored by an investigator during work hours its use was constitutional.  “To establish a pattern of serious misconduct, it was necessary to obtain pertinent and credible information over a period of time.” In a dissenting opinion it was argued that while the use of a GPS device to track employees suspected of misconduct is reasonable during work hours, the scope of the use in Cunningham’s caseundefinedwas unconstitutional. “(The Labor Department’s) valid interest in (Cunningham’s) whereabouts extended only to the hours of his workday, yet the device placed on (his) personal vehicle collected data 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

A bipartisan bill S. 1212 and H.R. 2168, the Geolocational Privacy and Surveillance Act, or GPS Bill, offered by Senator Ron Wyden [D-OR] and Representative Jason Chaffetz [R-UT-3], seeks to clarify and establish the standards government must meet to monitor an individual’s movements. It would effectively ban GPS use by private investigators without permission of the vehicle’s owner. The proposed legislation calls for a broad prohibition against the disclosure or use of geolocation information making it unlawful for any person to (A) intentionally intercept geolocation information pertaining to another person; (B) Intentionally disclose geolocation information pertaining to another person when it is known that information was obtained in violation of the act; (C) intentionally use any geolocation when it is known that information was obtained in violation of the act; or (D) intentionally disclose information that was lawfully obtained under the act, but not authorized to be released to third parties.

Under this GPS bill the government’s only means for acquiring geolocation information would be pursuant to a warrant under Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978. The Stored Communication Act or Pen Register/Trap and Trace Act would no longer be the method whereby such information is required.

In an emergency or exigent circumstances the police or emergency responders are allowed to use geolocation information to a person requesting assistance, such as a 911 call or where police “believe that the life or safety of the person is threatened or to assist the person.” There are other permitted circumstances for such methods by the US Attorney General and states’ Attorneys General to intercept geolocation information without a warrant.  An exclusionary rule is also contained in the GPS bill that no evidence acquired in violation of the act may be received in evidence in any trial or judicial proceeding.  This contrasts between the ECPA which does not contain an exclusionary rule.

A coalition of industry representatives, including Apple, AT&T, and Google, has joined with the ACLU and the Constitution Project to form the “Digital Due Process Coalition to advocate amending various federal surveillance laws. Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick J. Leahy [D-VT] introduced S. 1011, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments of 2011 which would not only amend the 25-year old ECPA but the Stored Communications Act as well.

Representative Edward J. Markey [D-MA-7] in a December 2, 2011 letter to the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission raised privacy issues and claims of potential violations of Section 5 FTC “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” concerning reported technology developed by Carrier IQ, a cell phone monitoring provider. An item published in “Wired” magazine was an impetus for Representative Markey’s writing to the FTC. The effects of the reported technology are apparently applicable to Android, BlackBerry and Nokia users. Representative Markey’s letter may be found at:

http://markey.house.gov/docs/2011_1201_letter_to_ftc.pdf

Wireless carriers will be claiming that the data of 150 million potential users presently does not violate their privacy and the carriers’ use of this software is only to diagnose smartphone and network issues. Senator Al Franken [D-MN] chairs the Senate Privacy Subcommittee and has also entered into the fray. Earlier in 2011, he held hearings on the S. 1223, the Location Privacy Protection Act of 2011. a bill he cosponsored with Senator Richard Blumenthal [D-CT].  There has been speculation that the FBI may be handling an investigation regarding Carrier IQ.

A class action lawsuit has also been filed in the USDC for the District of Delaware in Pacilli et al v. Carrier IQ, Inc. et al. The complaint may be found at:

http://www.siannistraite.com/sites/default/files/Carrier%20IQ%20Class%20Action%20Complaint%202%20DEC%202011FINAL.pdf

There are numerous other bills pending, as well as proposed FTC regulations, regarding Internet tracking and keystroke monitoring about which ISPLA has reported throughout 2011 to members via email listservs. As we enter the Second Session of the 112th Congress, we can expect more action from Representative Markey, who also co-chairs the bipartisan Congressional Privacy Caucus.  He has been outspoken on providing privacy protections of personal consumer information. He is a longtime advocate of “opt-in” remedies.  He has investigated the data privacy and security practices of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google, and the four major wireless carriers as well as the Social Security Administration. He is our profession’s “Nemesis” with a history of refusing to negotiate with private investigators regarding our concerns. Expect to hear more from him in 2012!

The following link provides the December 1, 2011 Congressional Research Service report entitled Governmental Tracking of Cell Phones and Vehicles: The Confluence of Privacy, Technology, and the Law.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/intel/R42109.pdf

The writer of  the CRS report in his conclusion states: “Congress, the courts, and the people will continue to grapple with ‘what limits there are upon [the] power of technology to shrink the realm of guaranteed privacy.’ …Several Members of Congress have introduced legislation to mend this perceived problem, and overhaul the current federal regime.”

We anticipate that in 2012 privacy legislation interest will remain strong with reports of security information breaches and Identity theft continuing to remain in the headlines. We expect that the Rupert Murdoch fiasco over tapping cell phone messages in the UK may become a larger problem for our profession here in the U.S. with DOJ investigators focusing on the possible the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, violations of FCC licensing regulations possibly affecting Fox News, and Congressional hearings scheduled to be held.

Rest assured that ISPLA is well aware of these and other issues. We will continue to address them. We are grateful to the professional associations that have acknowledged our legislative efforts at the federal level these past three years. Recently allocated donations by ALDONYS of $2500 and an additional $2500 from its Security Guard Company Committee, $2000 from PALI, $1000 from NJLPIA and $500 from INTELLENET are truly appreciated.  It is through such support, and from our individual members, that we have financed our state and federal legislative tracking systems, maintained Federal Election Commission compliance of our political action committee, professionally executed the effective federal Washington lobbying campaign of our volunteers, and achieved continuing successful results.  Thank you!

Bruce Hulme, ISPLA Director of Government Affairs

To further help support our good work — please go to: www.ISPLA.org

TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS

Thank you for being a part of Pursuit Magazine and for helping us to make 2011 the BEST year yet for our online publication; we sincerely hope that you not only enjoy reading our articles but that they have helped you personally or professionally in some way, too.

As we look forward to 2012, we have some really interesting plans that are coming together nicely as part of our efforts to not only to keep you informed, but to keep you engaged and networked into the professional investigations community as much, or as little, as you might want. We are developing new partnerships with other investigators and content providers who are producing informative and interesting sources of information! Look for a more diverse mix of media, especially video, from us in our posts in the coming year!

Please support our advertising partners, without them we could not continue to provide quality regular content to our readers for FREE!

Our top advertisers of 2011:

IRBsearch, LLC

“IRBsearch provides access to only the highest quality data and the most current information available – that’s why investigators have come to rely on us for fast and accurate information.  We know you have choices when it comes to selecting a data provider – and that’s why IRBsearch is not here just to meet your expectations, but to exceed them. Our leadership team has a combined 40 plus years of investigative experience in data acquisition and pairing advanced technologies with the best possible data sources.”

TracersInfo.com

“Tracers is one of the nation’s leading providers of identification and credential verification data. Tracers collects and maintains databases of public and non-public background information for law enforcement, government agencies, law firms, private investigators, insurance companies and other qualified businesses. Our products are designed to assist customers in managing risk through fraud detection and prevention, risk evaluation, identity verification, pre-screening and due diligence.”

IRBstore.com

“Our high-quality merchandise is carefully selected by private investigators and security professionals to bring you the best products. Whether you work in investigations, process service or bail and/or recovery operations, IRBstore.com is your one stop for affordable equipment, expert advice and superior customer service. IRBstore.com also provides security equipment for business owners, home owners, and personal safety use.”

Champlain College

“Champlain College’s digital forensic master’s programs meet a need for specialized education that builds your leadership skills, expands your networking base and accelerates your career. In a field with few graduate-level opportunities, our students are guided by well-connected faculty practitioners who work closely with the public and private sectors to ensure that Champlain’s programs meet the industry’s needs.”

Case Point, Inc

“Case Point Inc. is the best investigative Case Management Software for Private Detectives and Process Servers.  Our investigator business tools can manage and track cases, create invoices, organize media content; such as video surveillance, photos, and much more.”

Risk Management Research & Investments, Inc (RMRI, Inc)

“RMRI, Inc. is a full service Private Investigation Agency located in Columbia, MO. RMRI, Inc. is owned and operated by Ricky B. Gurley, who has been in the business of investigations and recovery operations for over eighteen (18) years.”

Thomson Reuters’ Clear

“CLEAR is an investigative platform designed for professionals who need information about individuals and companies. With fast access to a vast collection of public and proprietary records, CLEAR helps you find out about people and their connections.”

PI Agent

TO OUR ADVERTISERS:

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Your support means everything to us and the profession! In return we will continue our commitment to you, to keep our current readers happy and bring in many new subscribers in 2012 by proving that we are the very best resource for information, industry news and offering the types of services they want!

From everyone here at CompassPoint Investigations to wish you and yours a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!